Like Pickles? Meet the folks behind DC’s Own ‘Gordy’s Pickle Jar’

Sarah & Sheila

Sometimes I really love my job. Attending a pickle tasting is one of those days. So I was psyched to get an email from the owners of DC’s newest local business – Gordy’s Pickle Jar:

Gordy’s handcrafted pickles and preserves are a labor of love. Each thoughtfully designed recipe uses fresh, local produce & responsibly cultivated spices. We carefully tend to every small batch. Then we hand pack each & every jar to send to you.

We think you’ll taste the effort.

I met Sarah and Sheila at Blackbyrd (14th and U St, NW, where Sheila is also a bartender) to sample some of their product. And while I’m not a food critic – as a lover of pickles I can tell you that these had the best crunch I’ve ever had. Also the relish is amazing (and hand chopped.)

While you can order them online, you’ll also find them sold all around town:

Cork Market U Street Cardozo
Hill’s Kitchen Capital Hill
Palena Market Cleveland Park
Seasonal Pantry Shaw
Science Club Dupont Circle
Smucker Farms of Lancaster Co. U Street Cardozo
So’s Your Mom Adams Morgan
Sticky Fingers Columbia Heights
Trohv Takoma Park
Washington Green Grocer DC Metro Area

And at the end of the month you’ll even find them at the Whole Foods in Friendship Heights.

And more cool news, as mentioned above since Sheila is a bartender, she and some other bartenders around town are concocting some delicious cocktails with their brine:

I tried the vodka based ‘Gordy’s Picklet’ and a gin based mixture that were both delicious. Of course I don’t remember anything else from our conversation after that point and my notes look like a Jackson Pollack sketch. But from what I can remember you’ll be able to find drinks at Science Club (and fried sweet chips) and at the Gibson soon.

While the small batch production just launched in October (9th and V St, NW) stay tuned for lots more variety coming out in the future. Personally, I was begging for pickled okra. It’s always cool to hear about new local businesses. It’s even cooler to learn about delicious ones.